Die Fluchtstube: Hidden Room Exhibition Exploring Holocaust Survival at Museum Dorotheergasse

This exhibition at Museum Dorotheergasse presents a film documenting a hidden 'Fluchtstube' (escape room) built by Holocaust survivor Emmerich Grünwald after 1945. Through interviews and the documentation of this space, the museum explores the lasting trauma of persecution and the need for refuge for a generation affected by the Holocaust.

The Jüdisches Museum Wien showcases a filmic documentation of a hidden 'Fluchtstube' (escape room) constructed by Holocaust survivor Emmerich Grünwald, located between his restored business and apartment. Emmerich Grünwald, a radio engineer, survived deportation to the Theresienstadt Ghetto in 1942 despite a physical disability. After the war, he had his confiscated business in Vienna restituted. He then created a 'Fluchtstube'—a hidden intermediate floor accessed via a concealed staircase under a wardrobe—between his business and his apartment. Equipped with a kitchen, a music system, records, and a recording device, this space served as a personal retreat and sanctuary for the Holocaust survivor. Grünwald tragically died by suicide in his apartment in 1958. As the 'Fluchtstube' was slated for demolition in early 2026 due to structural reasons, the Jüdisches Museum Wien and the Documentation Center of Austrian Resistance collaborated to document this significant hidden space. The exhibition complements the film with interviews, tracing the search for a generation grappling with the enduring traumas of persecution, deportation, and concentration camp experiences.

Admission details are not provided on this page. Visitors are directed to the Museum Dorotheergasse for the exhibition 'Die Fluchtstube: Geheimnisse eines verborgenen Raumes'.